Bowl of Bean Soup
(click to enlarge)

Bean Soup


Germany   -   Bonensuppe
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 12 cups
***
1-3/4 hrs
Yes		 Substantial, satisfying and easy to make. If making in advance, cut the final simmering a bit and stir in the parsley after it's. Vegetarian? Use a dash of smoke flavoring and a little butter instead of bacon.

8
4
7
3
5
4
4
8
7
3
1/2
1/2
1
2
2
1
1/4
1/4
oz
oz
c
oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
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oz
T
T

T
T
t
t
c
Beans, white (1)
Bacon, smoked (2)
Water
Carrots
Celery Root (3)
Green Beans
Leek
Onion
Potatoes (4)
Parsley root (5)
Marjoram, dry
Thyme, dry
Bay Leaf
Butter
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Parsley, flat
Do-Ahead:   -   (8 hrs - 5 min work)
  1. Soak BEANS with 1 Teaspoon Salt for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and Rinse.
Make:   -   (1-3/4 hrs)
  1. Cut BACON into 1/4 inch cubes.
  2. Put Beans and Bacon in your soup pot with 7 c Water. Bring to a boil and simmer slowly until Beans are nearly tender, about 45 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile:   Cut CARROTS into 1/4 inch dice. Peel CELERY ROOT and cut into 1/4 inch dice. Mix.
  4. Tip and tail GREEN BEANS and cut to 1 inch lengths. Mix with Carrots.
  5. Strip outer leaves from LEEK and cut to just yellow and light green. Split lengthwise down to the root and wash out any grit under running water. Slice thin and mix with Carrots.
  6. Peel ONION and chop medium coarse and mix with Carrots.
  7. Peel POTATOES and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Mix with carrots.
  8. Peel PARSLEY ROOTS and cut into 1/4 inc dice. Mix with Carrots.
  9. Crush Marjoram and Thyme. Mix with Carrots along with Bay Leaf.
  10. Chop PARSLEY.
  11. When Beans finish their cooking time, stir in the Carrot mix and Herb mix. Bring back to a boil and simmer slowly another 1/2 hour.
  12. Meanwhile:   In a heavy iron skillet melt Butter. and fry Flour (all purpose) veeeeeeery slowly stirring often to make a roux of a rich golden color. Cool.
  13. Stir just a little Soup Liquid into the Roux, then stir into the soup pot. Season with Salt and Pepper. Simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes, stirring often.
  14. Stir in Parsley, check seasoning and serve hot.
NOTES:

  1. Beans:

      Great Northern or other mid-size white beans work fine. For details see our Bean Varieties page.

  2. Bacon:

      Bacon should be quite lean. Slab bacon can be sliced to 1/4 inch thickness to cut cubes, but I usually use "ends and pieces" which can be quite lean and thick enough.

  3. Celery Root:

      If you don't have this, use one large rib of celery, including tops if possible. For details see our Celery Root page.

  4. Potatoes:

      For dishes like this I prefer White Rose potatoes. Avoid "Yukon Gold" type potatoes, they turn to mush when cooked a little too long. For details see our Potatoes page.

  5. Parsley Root:

      If you don't have this use 1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley (measured chopped small and lightly packed). You still use the other 1/4 cup farther down the list. For details see our Parsley page.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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